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Making Connections That Can Help Save the Planet
If we’re going to realize the climate benefits of historic federal support for clean energy and jobs approved in the last two years, connections are the key. And I’m not just talking about electrifying homes and buildings.
Unlikely Allies and Uncomfortably Large Coalitions
“Spend your energy figuring out what’s the one thing that you can agree on with a political foe,” Gen. Colin Powell told me years ago. “Figure that out and you can get a lot done.”
Cutting Tailpipe Pollution Starts at Home for New York City
For Leslie Vasquez, an activist with South Bronx Unite, the same word describes the need and the timeline for New York City to act on climate pollution -- immediate.
Having Our Say Against Carbon Pollution
More than one million Americans told the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week that they aren’t willing to wait any longer.
It Shouldn't Take a Fiery Crash and Toxic Spill to Push Action on Railroad Safety
People around East Palestine, Ohio, have been warned not to run their vacuum cleaners.
How the Clean Energy Win in Michigan Provides a Roadmap for Other States
The historic Clean Energy Future Package and Clean Energy and Jobs Act, just recently signed into law by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, will greatly accelerate the state’s transition to the exclusive use of clean power sources like wind and solar.
For Too Many Kids Getting Outside Is Easier Said Than Done
Last week, after a restful Thanksgiving, my family made a deliberate choice to #OptOutside on Friday. #OptOutside is a growing movement in which participating organizations and companies close their doors on Black Friday, give their employees a paid day off, and encourage all of us to embrace the serenity of nature instead of succumbing to the frenzy of Black Friday shopping. I’m an outdoors enthusiast, from a long line of outdoors enthusiasts.
Milestones Show Us Where We’ve Come From, Where We Need to Go
Two things happened last week — one public, the other personal — that made me reflect on how far we’ve come as a nation, how we got here, and what it will take to keep that journey moving forward.
This November, Unite to Defend The Black Vote
Right before our last national elections in 2020, thousands of Black voters in Detroit got a call from someone posing as a woman named “Tamika Taylor.” She warned them that if they voted, the government would collect their personal information and come after them for credit card debt, outstanding warrants, even forced vaccinations. The calls were a voter suppression scam, and the two white guys behind it were prosecuted. But we’ll never know how many people were nervous enough to avoid voting that year.
Modeling the Spirit of Democracy
Some things are unthinkable—until they happen. For Jamie Raskin, a congressman and father, the first unthinkable thing was the loss of his beloved son Tommy to suicide on New Year’s Eve 2020. As a father myself, my heart breaks when I imagine the grief experienced by Raskin and his family.
Accountability: An Insurrectionist Removed From Office
A New Mexico judge has done the country a big favor. Judge Francis Mathew upheld a little-known provision of the U.S. Constitution and removed a public official for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. I hope other judges have the courage to follow his lead.
Artists Help Capture Our Political Chaos
Art can be a powerful tool for social change. Sometimes that threatens people in power.
America’s Unspoken Suicide Pandemic is the Sharp Edge of Social Isolation
The news stays filled with endless examples of hyper-partisanship out of Washington. It is no surprise most people think that’s the only thing happening in Washington. It’s not.
Book Bans Are an Attack on the Freedom to Read, Teach and Learn
Truth is a threat to authoritarianism. Reading is a path to truth. That’s why the freedom to read is essential to the freedom to learn. And that’s why the freedom to learn is often attacked by those who abuse power and those who cling to it.
One Nation, Indivisble
It strikes me that the days we’re living through represent a metaphor for our national dilemma. January 6th and the weight of history that date carries are in the rearview mirror, at least on the calendar. Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream still is on the horizon.
What We Shouldn’t Permit
Picture a mountain valley somewhere in the Alleghanies, Appalachians or Blue Ridge. It’s a safe bet what you just imagined didn’t include a metal pipeline more than three feet wide running down a steep ridge or crossing a pristine stream.
Seven Top Takeaways from this Year’s Midterms
As the dust settles on the midterm elections and the warnings of a “Red Wave” evaporate, it’s time to take a deep breath and take stock of what we’ve learned. There are many takeaways from the elections this year – and here are a few that top the list for me.
Tell the Supreme Court: We Still Need Affirmative Action
One of the great joys of my life is teaching. I’m fortunate to teach classes on social justice at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the most respected schools in the country. Penn has a longstanding commitment to affirmative action, and I have seen first-hand how diversity in the classroom benefits all my students. There’s just no question that diversity is a core piece of a vibrant academic community and a critical part of the learning experience – for all of us. Bringing together students with different lived experiences forces students to think critically about their assumptions, which is an essential goal of a university education.
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